Welcome to the Modern Foreign Languages Department at Harris Church of England Academy. We strongly believe that MFL has great importance in an increasingly global society. Knowledge of a foreign language not only enriches peoples’ work and leisure time but also improves peoples' intercultural understanding and develops transferable life skills. As such, we believe that all pupils should leave school with a sound knowledge and understanding of at least one additional foreign language. We celebrate the equal value of all cultures and languages in our community and native speakers of other languages are warmly encouraged to sit GCSEs in their native tongue. We aim to inspire a passion for learning modern foreign languages in our pupils, encourage them as they realise their potential and support them as they achieve their goals.

KS3 CURRICULUM

Key Stage 3 pupils study the following language and communication topics:

• Self and others
• My hobbies and free-time
• My school
• My town and local area
• My healthy lifestyle
• Holidays

As well as studying these language-based topics, students will have the opportunity topic to explore and compare life in Francophone countries with their own experiences:

My Hobbies and Free-time: Students will learn about sport in France and will discover native French music, film, books and TV as well as the French/Belgian tradition of Bande Dessinées (comic strips).

My School: Students will learn about the French education system; how pupils progress from year to year, how the school day is organised and the subjects they learn.

My Town and Local Area: Students will learn about French and French-speaking cities & towns as well as regional and cultural lifestyle and traditions.

My Healthy Lifestyle: Students will learn about the French healthcare system as well as a typical French diet and national & regional cuisine.

Holidays: Students will learn about tourism in France, Francophone holiday resorts and the benefits of travel.

KS4 CURRICULUM

Students follow the AQA GCSE course. From September 2016, Year 9 and 10 will focus on 3 core themes:

• Identity and culture
• Local, national, international and global areas of interest
• Current and future study and employment

As with KS3, GCSE students follow a language and communication based curriculum interwoven with social, cultural and moral elements:

Identity and Culture: Students not only develop their ability to describe and explain their own identity and culture, but will also discover a variety of Francophone customs and traditions allowing them to understand and celebrate difference and unity.

Local, National, International and Global areas of interest: Students will examine social issues in the UK, such as poverty and homelessness and compare with the current situation in France and Francophone countries.

Current and Future Study and Employment: Students learn about education in developing countries in French-speaking Africa and how this is enabled by charitable and philanthropic causes.

Students will prepare for four exams to be sat at the end of Year 11. The papers will examine the four key skills in MFL: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students will be entered for Foundation or Higher exams, according to prior attainment.

Year 11 will continue to follow the previous GCSE specification . Students will prepare controlled assessments for speaking and writing and will sit examinations for listening and reading. Students will be entered for Foundation and Higher exams, based on prior attainment.

THE HARRIS VALUES AND MODERN FOREIGN LANGUAGES

The Modern Languages Department contributes particularly to the social, cultural, moral and spiritual education at Harris Church of England Academy and promotes the Christian Distinctiveness of the school.

Students are encouraged to consider the lifestyle and culture of various countries across different continents and to develop curiosity, tolerance, acceptance and love of all, regardless of nationality or language. (Mark 12:31)

We trust that students will embrace the opportunity to learn to communicate with French speaking people around the world and will appreciate and celebrate the cultural differences they discover. This is achieved within the MFL curriculum by studying Francophone literature and film as well as geography, history, society and ethics in the target language. We explore different faith and non-faith belief systems across the world as well as religious customs and festivals in French speaking countries.

MFL contributes to the character development of students by encouraging an understanding of individuals, communities and nations globally whilst considering their own place in the world. (Jeremiah 29:11)